Kapil Sibal, senior Counsel and former Union Law Minister, has condemned the Vice-President’s rejection of a Congress-sponsored impeachment motion against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra without consulting the Judges in the Judges’ Collagium.

The Vice-President, who is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, rejected the Congress-sponsored notice to move an impeachment motion against the CJI within two days after it was submitted to him on 20th April by Rajya Sabha Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and leaders of Congress’ allies. As many as 67 MPs had signed the notice seeing to remove the CJI from his post for his arbitrary style of functioning.

After consulting legal luminaries, Naidu announced his decision not to entertain Congress Party’s request to table the motion in the Upper House of Parliament for voting. Objecting strongly to the Vice-President’s decision, Sibal told newsmen in New Delhi yesterday that the Vice-President had acted in haste (apparently under pressure) and took less than 48 hours to dispose off a request for an impeachment motion.

“Understanding the motion’s objective itself takes some time; never before in India’s Parliamentary history has a decision been taken with such haste and in its initial stage itself. The Vice-President should have consulted and taken the opinion of Judges in the Judges’ Collagium. He should have conducted a thorough inquiry before taking a decision.

“We would surely move the Supreme Court against the Vice-President’s rejection of our impeachment motion against the CJI. We also want the CJI to have no say in which bench or Judge would take up our appeal in this regard,” Sibal said.